BSLT 2006 : Run
It's been a whole week and I'm just now getting around to finishing this up.
Gimme a break. I'm on vacation...
My run began with some terribly wobbly legs. It took about 20 minutes or so to find a good stride - but I found it. I met up with a really cool guy from Austin about 10 minutes into the run. It was really great to talk with someone after 3 hours of solitude on the bike. I never did get his name or race number, but he really helped me get on track.
In retrospect, my plan was a little too conservative. I was downright scared of the half-marathon. I walked through each aid station and gave up almost one minute per mile. I wish I would have pushed a little harder, especially in the first 6.5 miles. I had a really great moment at the half way mark. At this point I knew I would finish. I stopped thinking in terms of 6-miles left and shifted into 63-miles completed. It was a great feeling!
The run course was really challenging. Several really tough hills. I tried to run them all, but ended up walking good portions of them. The best water stop was at mile 4 / 9. They had a great location right at the bottom of a pretty tough hill. Lots of energy which really got me moving.
The toughest section of the run was at mile 10. The course descended back into the canyon, alongside Buffalo Springs Lake. I could see runners ahead of me across the lake, people out in boats enjoying the beautiful day, and could hear the finishline announcer in the distance. I knew I only had about 5K to go, and the finish seemed so close but still pretty far. I knew that with the splits I had, I still had about 30 - 35 minutes of running. An eternity. I started thinking back to all the tough runs I have had over the last 6 months - all the Saturday morning bricks, the time sacrificed with my wife and kid, the changes in my life over the past year. How did I ever get here?
Around me I could see lots of folks beginning to crack - an ambulance taking someone in just 3 miles from the finish; lots of people reduced to walking. The active, excited conversations had gone quiet. It seemed that everyone had gone inside their heads to gut it out. Me too. I decided that I was going to finish out strong. No more walking. For the first time all day I was passing people. I tried to offer encouragement to everyone I passed. A couple of the Texas Iron folks kept running ahead and stopping to walk. We leap frogged a few times. I don't remember who finished first.
With about 1.5 miles left all the pros started riding past us heading back to the campgrounds. They were really cheering us on. It was pretty inspiring, I could only muster a smile. Lots of spectators were out too. "Only 800 meters to go!", "Keep it up! You're almost there!" "Lookin' strong 271!". We rounded the last turn and I could hear the announcer. It felt great to see the finish line.
I have to say crossing that line was the most challenging physical thing I have ever done. It was an amazing experience. It was also the most rewarding thing I have done. I wish everyone could have a feeling like that in their life. M met me at the finish line. I gave her a huge hug and told her I loved her. The emotion of the day finally spilled through. I was so happy to see her. She told me I had missed T by just 20 minutes. He had fallen asleep waiting for me to finish. If I had one disappointment of the day - that was it.
Finally, I want to thank some really important folks.
Gimme a break. I'm on vacation...
My run began with some terribly wobbly legs. It took about 20 minutes or so to find a good stride - but I found it. I met up with a really cool guy from Austin about 10 minutes into the run. It was really great to talk with someone after 3 hours of solitude on the bike. I never did get his name or race number, but he really helped me get on track.
In retrospect, my plan was a little too conservative. I was downright scared of the half-marathon. I walked through each aid station and gave up almost one minute per mile. I wish I would have pushed a little harder, especially in the first 6.5 miles. I had a really great moment at the half way mark. At this point I knew I would finish. I stopped thinking in terms of 6-miles left and shifted into 63-miles completed. It was a great feeling!
The run course was really challenging. Several really tough hills. I tried to run them all, but ended up walking good portions of them. The best water stop was at mile 4 / 9. They had a great location right at the bottom of a pretty tough hill. Lots of energy which really got me moving.
The toughest section of the run was at mile 10. The course descended back into the canyon, alongside Buffalo Springs Lake. I could see runners ahead of me across the lake, people out in boats enjoying the beautiful day, and could hear the finishline announcer in the distance. I knew I only had about 5K to go, and the finish seemed so close but still pretty far. I knew that with the splits I had, I still had about 30 - 35 minutes of running. An eternity. I started thinking back to all the tough runs I have had over the last 6 months - all the Saturday morning bricks, the time sacrificed with my wife and kid, the changes in my life over the past year. How did I ever get here?
Around me I could see lots of folks beginning to crack - an ambulance taking someone in just 3 miles from the finish; lots of people reduced to walking. The active, excited conversations had gone quiet. It seemed that everyone had gone inside their heads to gut it out. Me too. I decided that I was going to finish out strong. No more walking. For the first time all day I was passing people. I tried to offer encouragement to everyone I passed. A couple of the Texas Iron folks kept running ahead and stopping to walk. We leap frogged a few times. I don't remember who finished first.
With about 1.5 miles left all the pros started riding past us heading back to the campgrounds. They were really cheering us on. It was pretty inspiring, I could only muster a smile. Lots of spectators were out too. "Only 800 meters to go!", "Keep it up! You're almost there!" "Lookin' strong 271!". We rounded the last turn and I could hear the announcer. It felt great to see the finish line.
I have to say crossing that line was the most challenging physical thing I have ever done. It was an amazing experience. It was also the most rewarding thing I have done. I wish everyone could have a feeling like that in their life. M met me at the finish line. I gave her a huge hug and told her I loved her. The emotion of the day finally spilled through. I was so happy to see her. She told me I had missed T by just 20 minutes. He had fallen asleep waiting for me to finish. If I had one disappointment of the day - that was it.
Finally, I want to thank some really important folks.
- M and T - You sacrificed many things to get me to the finish line. I love you both so much.
- Robert, Kathy and Amers - Thank you so much for being here. Your support and encouragement has made all the difference.
- Mom - Thanks so much for making the trip. You and Dad are great roll models and you seem to always turn up at my big races. Thanks for your support!
- My blog friends - thanks for telling your stories. I've never been much of an athlete and your stories and experiences have helped me figure it all out.
So that's it. I consider this the end of the first chapter in a journey to change my life. I've learned so many things this year. I've changed for the better and I'm proud of this accomplishment. As always there is room for improvement. Actually I've left LOTS of room for improvement! I've already started planning for Ironman. Right now it looks like summer 2008 - probably IMAZ or IMFL.
See ya out there...
posted by TTUTri at 10:37 AM
4 Comments:
Congratulations. I mean it.
Well written post. Thanks for the inspiring recount of pushing through the pain on a very tough course.
Stay tuned...
Hey-you're still smiling at the end and that's all that matters. So, what's NEXT?? Don't you hate it???
Way to go. That is an impressive accomplishment.
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